Robert Lewandowski and Corentin Tolisso on target as Bayern Munich edge past Anderlecht in the Champions League

a year ago

Bayern Munich kept alive their slim hopes of finishing top of UEFA Champions League Group B with a narrow 2-1 win at Anderlecht.

Anderlecht 1-2 Bayern Munich

Goals:0-1 Lewandowski (51’), 1-1 Hanni (63’), 1-2 Tolisso (77’)

Jupp Heynckes handed teenage defender Marco Friedl his first competitive start for the club in Brussels, but the Bundesliga leaders had Sven Ulreich to thank for keeping the score at 0-0 in the first half. The 29-year-old produced an instinctive near-post save to deny Dennis Appiah with a quarter of an hour played, before twice thwarting Lukasz Teodorczyk from point-blank range.

The Bavarians lost Thiago and Arjen Robben to injury either side of half-time, but took the lead against the run of play when Robert Lewandowski slotted home Corentin Tolisso’s low cross for his second Champions League goal of the campaign. Sofiane Hanni escaped the attention of Jerome Boateng and Niklas Süle to restore parity just past the hour mark, but Tolisso nodded Joshua Kimmich’s cross into the far corner on 77 minutes to earn Heynckes’ team a hard-fought victory.

Match stats

Lewandowski has 18 goals in 19 games so far this season.Bayern have now won seven of the 12 previous meetings between these sides.The Bavarians won the first of their European Cups in 1974 with a replay victory over Atletico Madrid at Brussels’ Heysel Stadium.Bayern need to beat Paris Saint-Germain by four clear goals on 5 December to top Group B.